Fostex MC102 - no sound from cassette - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

SiriusHardware · 22nd Sep 2015, 11:50 pm

As part of his unfolding mid-life crisis a friend has decided to relive one aspect of his youth by buying some 1980-1990s era music synthesisers. To combine the audio from them all into one output he took a punt on an 'as seen' Fostex MC102 (circa 1993) which is a rack-mount combined audio mixer and four track (?) cassette recorder.

He's since found that there is no audio from the cassette deck - he's tried playing a pre-recorded cassette which, if the deck is a four track, will obviously result in two tracks playing forwards and two playing backwards. However, he doesn't get any audio from the 'monitor' output.

I haven't been able to find an online diagram or service manual for this unit yet, although Fostex do still exist and the user manual is here:

(Scroll down the list to find the MC102)

http://www.fostexinternational.com/d.../manuals.shtml

Are there any 'stock faults' likely to be causing this symptom?

SiriusHardware · 23rd Sep 2015, 12:26 am

Slight correction: On reading through the manual I've realised that the cassette side of things is just a standard stereo recorder / player, not a multitrack unit as I had originally assumed.

GeoffB17 · 23rd Feb 2016, 5:32 pm

Hello,
Don't know if you're still having trouble here? I'm just down the road (?) from you, in Guisborough.
I have a 102 as well, same use, mine is working fine.

Firstly, when playing, is there any indication on the meter?
How are you listening - 'phones, or output via line? Do both not work?

There are a number of alternative settings, both level and on/off switches. Particular settings of these may cause no evident output. I've certainly had cases when I had no output, but one or more controls were not in correct position! In any case, more detail would be helpful.

Geoff Barnard

SiriusHardware · 9th Jul 2016, 1:20 am

Geoff, apologies for not noticing this reply sooner. We are actually often closer than you knew, since I drive past you on the Guisborough bypass on my way to the North York moors most weekends. I know the town itself quite well.

The 102 in question is owned by a friend who lives quite some way away from both of us, so I never saw it myself and I wasn't able to unearth any service info on them from any source that I could think of.

But anyway, he had a look at it and found cracked solder joints around the legs of what sounded to me like a regulator transistor or actual regulator IC - once he'd resoldered those it sprang to life. Presumably the usual solder fractures caused by heating / expansion / cooling / contraction of the legs of a device which normally runs warm.

22nd Sep 2015, 11:50 pm	#1
SiriusHardware Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK. Posts: 11,575	Fostex MC102 - no sound from cassette As part of his unfolding mid-life crisis a friend has decided to relive one aspect of his youth by buying some 1980-1990s era music synthesisers. To combine the audio from them all into one output he took a punt on an 'as seen' Fostex MC102 (circa 1993) which is a rack-mount combined audio mixer and four track (?) cassette recorder. He's since found that there is no audio from the cassette deck - he's tried playing a pre-recorded cassette which, if the deck is a four track, will obviously result in two tracks playing forwards and two playing backwards. However, he doesn't get any audio from the 'monitor' output. I haven't been able to find an online diagram or service manual for this unit yet, although Fostex do still exist and the user manual is here: (Scroll down the list to find the MC102) http://www.fostexinternational.com/d.../manuals.shtml Are there any 'stock faults' likely to be causing this symptom?

23rd Sep 2015, 12:26 am	#2
SiriusHardware Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK. Posts: 11,575	Re: Fostex MC102 - no sound from cassette Slight correction: On reading through the manual I've realised that the cassette side of things is just a standard stereo recorder / player, not a multitrack unit as I had originally assumed.

23rd Feb 2016, 5:32 pm	#3
GeoffB17 Tetrode Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Guisborough, North Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 80	Re: Fostex MC102 - no sound from cassette Hello, Don't know if you're still having trouble here? I'm just down the road (?) from you, in Guisborough. I have a 102 as well, same use, mine is working fine. Firstly, when playing, is there any indication on the meter? How are you listening - 'phones, or output via line? Do both not work? There are a number of alternative settings, both level and on/off switches. Particular settings of these may cause no evident output. I've certainly had cases when I had no output, but one or more controls were not in correct position! In any case, more detail would be helpful. Geoff Barnard

9th Jul 2016, 1:20 am	#4
SiriusHardware Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK. Posts: 11,575	Re: Fostex MC102 - no sound from cassette Geoff, apologies for not noticing this reply sooner. We are actually often closer than you knew, since I drive past you on the Guisborough bypass on my way to the North York moors most weekends. I know the town itself quite well. The 102 in question is owned by a friend who lives quite some way away from both of us, so I never saw it myself and I wasn't able to unearth any service info on them from any source that I could think of. But anyway, he had a look at it and found cracked solder joints around the legs of what sounded to me like a regulator transistor or actual regulator IC - once he'd resoldered those it sprang to life. Presumably the usual solder fractures caused by heating / expansion / cooling / contraction of the legs of a device which normally runs warm.